I Battal ion
PINION
Page 11 • Tuesday, October 19, 1999
As world population skyrockets, policymakers will need new ways to deal with a
CROWDED PLANET
for anyotta,
klahoma Cityli
1 are overall
ie fact that fc
fter thesto®:
a dad and an
spokespersof,
id.
rrar, a RedCs 1
mselor inla
tiat many pe®:
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every cha/igi
all.
oro, at die s
oding Sept.;
>ected to crest
e its 19-foot 3om
hen a Sarajevo
baby was
born two min-
after midnight ex-
’ one week ago,
e world reached the
jibolic 6-billion
jk in population,
lowever, last Tuesday
Is much like any oth-
BEVERLY
MIRELES
tiesday — babies were born, people
, single-passenger commuters idled
^engines in traffic jams, and, some-
ere, children went to work sewing
seer balls.
n other words, the world hit the 6-
ion mark and kept on keeping on,
npletely unfazed by the number or
implications.
(Consider 6 billion, all nine zeros of it.
]ving this many people on a resource-
llenged planet is much like having
y 1,000 parking spaces for 20,000
ople — it feels good when one gets a
but think of all the people circling
. _ lot like vultures.
peCtanC|To make matters even more compli-
‘ed, the population will not just stop at
reven 7 billion. U.N. demographers
e projected the global population to
rich the 7 billion mark in just 12 years,
ter your bcr :;»i although birth rates seem to be slow-
vw.deathctaxtlf the population should still arrive at
projectedd3:e! |i> billion by 2050.
Dorn, say,onSomething else to ponder: The United
iale, you willdeites and Japan may have rapidly aging
msed on ave® pulations, but Africa, Asia and Latin
less than 1.#! nerica have over one billion youths
enteringtheirreproductiveyears.Ac-
i Clock bills Iw^rding to U.N. population experts, this
-called “youthquake” guarantees an-
herpopulation jump through 2050.
The 6-billion mark is a milestone but
so an impediment. Especially in the
News in
Brief
te calculi
IK (AP)-Wart
your life? Coostj
out just how n
:ndly reminderW
i"
>f the seven wsf
ad intheupcetfi
ay. The 114®
ites as “so act-
rare
;azine, whMflf nited States, where money for family
t a!ining is easier to come by, people
regard carefully the complications
(fincreased population on religion, dis
and consumption of resources.
U l Whpn looking at the statistics, one ini-
^ ' has to appreciate the global popula-
n would be much higher if countries
:h as China had not taken extreme and
Jnited Nations awash in woes
ve!
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ght!
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sometimes unlawful measures. Last
week, China announced to the world
that if it had not implemented its “one-
child” policy 20 years ago, China’s popu
lation would be more than 300 million
greater than its current population of
1.25 billion. And while China’s drastic
measures should not be celebrated, it
serves to illustrate the effect family plan
ning has on global population.
Family planning, long contested by
pro-life groups and the Roman Catholic
Church, is now a necessity. Although re
ligious groups may rally against all
types of family planning, from sexual
education to condoms, they have to ad
mit the world would be a much more
crowded and unhappy place if family
planning had not been implemented in
industrialized societies.
Studies show educated women tend to
have fewer children than uneducated
ones, and U.N. statistics show there cur
rently are at least 460 million illiterate
RUBEN DELUNA/Thk Battalion
women globally. The implication of
this ratio of educated women to birth
rates is clear. How many of the 370,000
babies born last Tuesday were unwant
ed or destined for a life of illiteracy and
poverty?
Increased population also will have ef
fects on global health. As more people
are*born, more space is filled, shoving
people into previously uninhabited areas
or smaller living spaces. Either way,
health will be affected. As people live in
increasingly cramped environments, or
in previously uninhabited surround
ings, there always is the chance new
pathogens will surface, old diseases
will reappear or resources needed to
cure disease will be destroyed by en
croaching populations.
Many biological cures found in the
rainforest already have been decimated
because of the need for more living
space. As it is, world health is a huge
problem in both industrial and develop
ing countries. Health care and disease
can only get worse in a world with fewer
resources and more opportunities for ,
communicable diseases to flourish.
Though unwanted babies and disease
are of greatest concern, the problem that
will probably most haunt Western civi
lization is consumption rates.
More people means more valuable re
sources will disappear more quickly. In
the United States, conspicuous consump
tion is an American dream — a born-
and-bred way of life for many citizens.
Considering that many middle-class
families in the United States have cars for
nearly each family member, gas con
sumption alone is staggering.
Add in sport utility vehicles (SUVs),
luxury sedans and basically every other
vehicle but Yugos, and people already
have a gas resource shortage.
And what about water and electricity?
Even accounting for the fact 80 percent
of the world’s resources are used by 20
percent of its population, a shortage is
still a shortage. Whether people choose
to consume less or reproduce less,
change definitely is on its way.
The 6-billion mark already has visited
itself upon the world, and no force short
of an act of God will keep us from the
next billion.
However, if people think about the im
plications of a lack of family planning,
perhaps they might be more willing to
buy that next condom or decide on that
Yugo. Every bit counts when 6 billion
people are involved. - -
Beverly Mireles is a junior
microbiology major.
r\
ms» 1
> .
ELIZABETH
KOHL
> ince 1984
D the United
Nations
is been dedi-
ted to pre-
rving peace,
much so
at the first of
ur goals out-
ied in the or-
inizations’ charter is to “main-
in international peace and
icurity. ”
But because of a lack of re-
)ect for U.N. forces entering
intentions regions, this task is
tcoming increasingly difficult,
id international troops are be-
ig put at risk.
Sunday, the 24th, has officially
een dedicated as United Nations
ay.
As the United Nations cele-
rates its silver anniversary of
lobal peacekeeping Sunday,
N. Day, it is time for the effec-
veness of U.N. peacekeeping
irces to be re-evaluated.
In the event of an international
risis, the U.N. Security Council
stablishes a plan of action in
ccordance with the consent
fthe host government.
After the Security
ouncil requests the
lecessary number of
aternational volun-
eers, member na-
ions provide troops
md equipment to
upport the peace-
leeping plan.
These troops then
inter countries of un-
tst, under the U.N. ban
ner and wearing U.N. uni
forms.
Because of a lack of response
many member nations,
Peacekeeping forces often find
ihemselves inadequately staffed
to handle escalating situations.
This lack of manpower can re
sult in an unsafe environment
for or even the withdrawal of the
hoops.
Even in the event enough sol
diers are available to support
ff-N. peacekeeping actions, these
hoops pose little threat to local
At the silver anniversary of U.N.
peacekeeping, it is time to reflect se
riously on the costs and benefits of
U.N. missions.
militants. According to a report
by the United Nations Depart
ment of Public Information,
“U.N. troops carry light arms
and are allowed to use minimum
force only in self-defense or if
armed persons try to stop them
from carrying out the orders of
their commanders.”
Without the ability to enforce
actual peacekeeping, U.N. forces
provide only a facade of a military
presence. In many situations, U.N.
forces are deployed into
areas where the rivals
they are trying to recon
cile are heavily armed
and previously have tak-
ERIC ANDRAOS/The Battalion
en up arms against one another.
Positions within the U.N.
forces, such as military ob
servers, are further put at risk by
U.N. policies, requiring them to
be unarmed.
Recently in the country of
Georgia, which lies on the edge
of the Black Sea between Turkey
and Russia, six U.N. military ob
servers were abducted by local
militants. These observers, along
with 96 others, were part of
peacekeeping efforts to monitor
the truce between the Georgian
government and separatists in the
region of Abkhazia.
The abduction of these U.N.
staffers was made possible be
cause of retaliation by the United
Nations was unlikely.
Yet another problem with U.N.
peacekeeping lies directly in the
diversity of rebels felt nationali
ties in its forces. Many of today’s
conflicts erupt over ethnicity and
nationality, and as di
versified peacekeeping
groups enter regions,
the risk of fueling the
conflict increases.
For instance, a Bul
garian U.N. staffer re
cently was killed by an
angry mob in Kosovo
for giving the time of
day in the wrong lan
guage. U.N. officials
now warn personnel
of the dangers of
speaking Slavic languages in
Kosovo, but the price of that les
son has already been too high.
In recognition of the 1,580
U.N. staffers who have died in
the past 50 years, it is time for
the U.N. to revamp its peacekeep
ing policies.
Member nations should be
pressured to support the United
Nations by all means possible,
but especially by volunteering ad
equate numbers of troops. The
scope of peacekeepers’ influence
must be increased.
These forces should be given
the same power as any other
standing military. If U.N. forces
were more intimidating, perhaps
they would be more effective.
Elizabeth Kohl is a junior
accounting major.
Nuclear conflict
not likely to result
from Pakistan coup
In response to Mark Passwaters’
Oct. 15 column.
This is in response to Passwa
ters’ prediction of doom in the
form of "nuclear armageddon.”
The column insults the intelli
gence of the people who govern
their respective countries with his
suggestion that the dispute over
MAIL CALL
Kashmir could lead to a nuclear
confrontation anytime.
His statement that "as the
skirmishes increased in ferocity,
India and Pakistan both threat
ened the other with full-scale war
and nuclear annihilation if fighting
did not stop” is false. At no point,
during the entire conflict was a nu
clear war even considered an op
tion, and neither of the countries
wanted a full-scale war.
Also, Passwaters must be real
ly short on memory if he thinks
that, “never before in human his
tory have two nuclear nations with
EDITORIAL
Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the
editorials board members. They do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of other Battalion staff members, the Texas A&M stu
dent body, regents, administration, faculty or staff. Columns,
guest columns, cartoons and letters express the opinions of the
authors.
so much hatred toward each other
had an issue that could lead to
confrontation anytime.” The Unit
ed States and the erstwhile Sovi
et Union could have easily trig
gered the third world war during
the Cuban crises.
Dramatizing issues or giving
half-informed truths are not good
examples of responsible journal
ism. The article could have been
a really good one had he gotten
all his facts right.
Anuradha Mukherji
Graduate Student
Editorials Board
SALLIE TURNER
Editor in Chief
MARIUM MOHIUDDIN
Managing Editor
CALEB MCDANIEL
Opinion Editor
EMILY R. SNOOKS
Campus Editor
CARRIE BENNETT
Community Editor
Q-Dropping the Ball
Poor professors partly responsible for the popularity ofQ-drops
Dr. Rayford G. Anthony, head of
the Department of Chemical Engi
neering, apparently believes the
“Q” in Q-drop stands for “quitters.”
Anthony’s plan to phase out
Q-drops in chemical engineering
classes is founded on the short
sighted assumption that most stu
dents use their Q-drops to lazily
cop out of challenging courses.
Unfortunately for Anthony, no
department is able to unilaterally
alter Q-drop policy. His proposal
will have to be approved by a
committee made up in part by stu
dent leaders, which means it most
likely will never become a reality.
But a vital point should be
made. If faculty members are
concerned about students fre
quently Q-dropping their courses.
they should realize penalizing
students by curtailing their
choice to drop is not the solution.
Instead, administrators should
investigate the reasons why Q-
drops are so frequently used. They
must remain open to the possibili
ty that poor instructors, rather
than lazy students, often are re
sponsible for high Q-drop rates.
Rather than discouraging stu
dents from using Q-drops, adminis
trators should encourage professors
to pay attention to their pedagogy.
Holding instructors more account
able for their pupils’ success would
more permanently dissuade students
from dropping. Departments must
put a premium on professor profi
ciency if they wish to keep students
enrolled in their programs.
Administrators also must be less
averse to making statistics on fac
ulty performance readily accessible
to students. Professors historically
have been unwilling to allow grade
distributions to be widely dissemi
nated. But if students knew more
about their teachers when they
registered, they would be less like
ly to Q-drop unexpectedly tough
classes. By giving students easy ac
cess to to syllabi and professors’ Q-
drop rates, they can make more in
formed decisions as consumers.
Administrators will not endear
themselves to Q-dropping stu
dents by assuming them to be
apathetic. If a course is too
tough, it may as easily be the
fault of the professor as it is the
fault of the pupil.